Intuit Grants Wish to Help School Rock On

In 2003, the movie The School of Rock was a hit with music and movie lovers everywhere. But Jack Black and the theatrical fusion of school and rock ‘n’ roll have nothing on what Jason Gittinger and his Detroit School of Rock and Pop are doing today in real life.

Raised in a family of musicians, Gittinger was introduced to the drums at age 2. Not surprisingly, he learned as a young man how music instruction can dramatically broaden one’s capacity for learning and self-confidence.

“Obviously there was a movie that inspired people to do this type of thing,” Gittinger says of his music school. “But my goal has always been to connect as many people as possible to the one thing that helped me the most as a kid. And that is learning to play a musical instrument.”

To that end, the Detroit School of Rock and Pop has been cultivating a productive musical environment for kids and adults across the community of Royal Oak, Michigan since the school was founded in 2008.

“It’s not so much about the music in particular,” Gittinger explains, “it’s about learning the process of paying attention to details.”

These days, the Detroit School of Rock and Pop Music plays home to concerts, provides music lessons, and even holds art exhibits featuring the work of renowned local and national artists. As a result, Gittinger and his organization continue to make dreams come true for the school’s 100 students — half of whom are children.

Unfortunately, keeping the school’s recording studio as fresh and invigorated as the student body itself requires some expensive upkeep from time to time. That’s why Gittinger recently brought a dream of his own to Intuit’s Small Business Big Wishes campaign.

“On Monday evenings,” the school founder wrote in his wish entry, “we offer the opportunity for kids to come learn how recording works in our recording studio. Our studio computer is on its last legs. We need to update it to a Mac Pro so that we can keep our students engaged and productive with their music.”

This week, Jason Gittinger learned that Intuit is going to help his school rock on by granting his wish.

“My goal,” Gittinger says with gratitude, “is to inspire both kids and adults to have that passion for something in life before they get too old. We can give them the tools to do anything they want someday.”

Do You Have a Small Business Wish?

Have a wish? It just may come true! During the month of December, Intuit will grant one wish a day for 15 days to deserving small businesses. Submit your wish online for a chance to win. Winners will be selected based on the number of votes each wish receives, the wish’s feasibility, and the transformational impact it would have on the business. To learn more, click here.